Hops harvested, and a question.

[SuperBroo]

Wooo hooooooo...

Harvested my first hops last week.

Ended up with 234 grams of cascade after drying, and 46 grams of chinook, and they both smell sensational


What are your opinions on the best way to use whole hop flowers in the boil ?
1- Just throw in loosely ?
2- Hops into mesh bag and then into boil ?
3- Hops into blender and then either loose or bagged into boil ?

Or any other ideas ?

My kettle doesnt have a drain plug or filter screen yet, so am considering the bag method.

Cheers to all,
Grog.

[Bum]

My kettle doesnt have a drain plug or filter screen yet, so am considering the bag method.

What method do you use to get the wort out? The answer to your question sorta depends on your method, I guess. If you siphon I'd do option 1. If you just tip it into the fermenter I'd go with option 2 (ensuring the bag is big enough to allow plenty of room for the flowers to move). Not sure why you'd do option 3.

All just what I'd do, of course. I'm sure someone will have an option 4 that works great for them.

[billybushcook]

Yeh...Wot E' Said....
I have nearly allways used Flowers for my primary bittering Hop, I like the fact that they are both natural & that they form a good barrier to filter the Crud & keep it in the Kettle.
Use a bag if you have no other method of screening them out.

Mick.

[billybushcook]

Wooo hooooooo...

Harvested my first hops last week.

Ended up with 234 grams of cascade after drying,
Grog.

P.S.
Congrats on your first harvest grog.
I love growing hops but I'm starting to think that I'm too far Nth for a good crop. Even the flowers I have on my 2nd yr PoR plant are not real pungent yet, great thing to watch grow though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you interested in a Rhyzome swap next Autumn??, would like to try another variety!

Cheers, Mick.

[matr]

Unfortunately for Grog I don't think WA quarantine will approve of it. I think we can send out but you can't send in.

Would be good if we all could just play swapsies.

[billybushcook]

Unfortunately for Grog I don't think WA quarantine will approve of it. I think we can send out but you can't send in.

Would be good if we all could just play swapsies.

Worth a try??
What's the worst they can do for a first time try,
labeled as "pot Pourie" or some thing simmilar???

Mick.

[matr]

Worth a try??
What's the worst they can do for a first time try,
labeled as "pot Pourie" or some thing simmilar???

Mick.

After your conical flask issue maybe you're the last person that should give it a go!!

[SuperBroo]

Hey All,
Am still doing it tough here in Bremer Bay, just gettin' into holiday mode but have to pack up Saturday to drive back Sunday

@ Mick,
Yep, happy to give the swap a go.
I would wash the rhizhome and cold store it in that fuzzy brown stuff whatever its called.
I will be able to send either cascade, chinook or hallertau.
My Hallertau didnt perform very well, even though it was the biggest rhizhome i planted.
I dont think it likes warm temps or something.
I will persist with it for second year, and if it fails - ROUNDUP.
1- When should I cut off a chunk of Rhizhome ?
2- What varieties you have Mick ?

@ Bum,
You're right, its more about how you drain the kettle.
I think I'll get one of those auto-siphons and just put stainless steel wool on the end like i've seen suggested before on this forum somewhere.
My first all home grown hops (HGH) brew, will be pellet bittering, and cascade HGH for flavour and aroma.
I also have 10kg malting barley from my Bro In Laws farm in Lake Grace WA, which I am going to malt myself soon, and use HGH chinook and cascade for as close to totally home made beer as I can get.

@Matr,
How are ya Matt ?
Drop in on ya way past and I'll give you a 30g bag of fresh cascade mate, or I can drop it in to James' shop if you like.
You'll have to watch out for the lady-birds though, hops were covered in them, so theres no doubt a few got packed and frozen. Gotta love the organic aphid control
I never once sprayed them with anything, so they're as natural as you can get.


Cheers to all,
Grog.

[hirns]

Grog, I'm interested in what extra percentage of flowers you use verses pellets. Most suggest somewhere between 15 to 20% for the same AA if I remember correctly.

Hirns

[billybushcook]

Grog
wait until the weather cools off so the plant goes dormant, probably around May & dig around the outer extremities for a rhyzome with some rootlets hanging off it.
Cascade & Chinook sound good, I only have Pride of Ringwood at the moment.

Mick.

[drsmurto]

Use flower hops loose, as mentioned they form a great filter. And congrats on the crop, seems a tad early but then you may have had warmer weather than us down here. My cascade which is the earliest flowering variety has flowers but they are quite small at the moment.

As for rhizome (no z Mick although i suspect you are having fun with me) swapping, the best way is to wait till winter when they go dormant and wash them of all soil. Pack them in damp coir (made from coconut husks). You can send them to WA and Tassie but you need to fill out a declaration form and attach it to the parcel. Fines for doing so arent small.

I'll be doing my usual sale of rhizomes in winter - Cascade, chinook, Goldings, POR and Victoria. $10 barely covers my costs but if you offer them for nothing they are often not even planted. I have given away rhizomes/cuttings etc before and found out later they were never planted. That shits me so i now put a token price on them to weed those people out.

[AidanMatthews]

Hey dr smurto,

I would be interested in some POR i live in adelaide like yourself so growing wont be an issue there.

Will need to do some research on growing, its a climbing plant right? Bit like a vine?

[drsmurto]

Hey dr smurto,

I would be interested in some POR i live in adelaide like yourself so growing wont be an issue there.

Will need to do some research on growing, its a climbing plant right? Bit like a vine?

Yes, its a climbing plant. Given the chance they will grow several metres high.

The trellis in the picture below is 3m.

[AidanMatthews]

I read up on it and i dont believe i have enough room, might need to do it if i ever get a bigger yard.
One day